MediaTek teams up with Microsoft on Internet of Things development

2018/04/17 17:10:11

Taipei, April 17 (CNA) MediaTek Inc., the largest integrated circuit designer in Taiwan, has joined forces with U.S.-based tech giant Microsoft Corp. on development of the booming Internet of Things (IoT), the Taiwanese firm said Tuesday.

Under the cooperation with Microsoft, MediaTek said it is scheduled to launch the first-ever Azure Sphere chip, coded the MT3620, which is expected to enhance IoT innovation with built-in security and connectivity.

MediaTek said IoT applications using the MT3620 chip are scheduled to hit the market later this year.

According to MediaTek, the Azure Sphere technology is a solution for creating highly secure, connected microcontroller unit (MCU)- powered devices.

With the Azure Sphere technology, MediaTek said, Microsoft is building a new ecosystem consisting of silicon vendors, original device manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers in a wide range of industries around the world.

Under the program, the MT3620 chip is expected to be sold as part of the Azure Sphere solution to enable customers across a broad set of industries to easily connect their MCU- powered products and devices.

"MediaTek has a long history of working with Microsoft on specific SoC (system on chip) designs that meet demanding connectivity needs," Jerry Yu (游人傑), MediaTek Corporate vice president and general manager of the Intelligent Devices Business Group, said in a statement.

In February, MediaTek announced that it has been working with Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook on artificial intelligence development.

As for the Azure Sphere program, Yu said that "on top of our close ties with Microsoft and design expertise, Microsoft had a vision we also believe in. Bringing trust and security into IoT solutions from chip to cloud, to make connected devices practical to sell and manage for businesses and consumers."

MediaTek said its customers are expected to launch products with the MT3620 chip installed in the third quarter of this year.

Due to the news of the collaboration with Microsoft, shares of MediaTek appeared resilient against the broader market, down only 0.58 percent at NT$340.00 (US$11.56) Tuesday, when the benchmark weighted index on the main board plunged 1.32 percent.